1) Heart failure is a major and growing public health problem, affecting over 15 million people in Europe with a prevalence of over 2-3% overall and 10-20% in those over 70 years old.
2) It is a primary cause of hospital admissions and readmissions, accounting for 5% of admissions and 40% of patients being readmitted or dying within a year. It represents a significant cost burden on healthcare systems.
3) Diagnosis involves clinical examination, ECG, chest x-ray, echocardiography and natriuretic peptide levels of BNP or NT-proBNP which can help differentiate between possible and likely heart failure.
4) Heart failure is now recognized as a